Accessing important information in Detroit is becoming a little easier with a new initiative from Downtown Detroit Partnership. The nonprofit community organization, in collaboration with the City of Detroit and technology company IKE Smart City, unveiled the first of up to 30 new digital wayfinding kiosks in the city during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Cadillac Square earlier this week.
“As our commercial districts rebound from the pandemic, these digital kiosks will provide wayfinding and public information, and make our city and businesses more accessible to residents and businesses alike,” says Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan in a press release.
The kiosks, which will be set up across downtown Detroit and its surrounding neighborhoods in the coming months, work as free Wi-Fi hot spots and offer interactive features on their screens that highlight businesses near each kiosk, public transit data, and information on social services like homeless shelters, addiction recovery programs, and food support. The kiosks also display real-time community messages with public safety information, severe weather warnings, Amber Alerts, and more, and they each include an emergency call button that connects users to 911.
Additionally, the kiosks are dedicated to highlighting local art. Through a partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and Library Street Collection, the kiosks will promote current and upcoming art exhibits. IKE Smart City also worked with curator Asmaa Walton to promote her Black Art Library collection and exhibition on the screens. Currently, the new kiosk in Cadillac Square features the work of Judy Bowman, a mixed-media collage artist from Detroit.
“We are excited to see this program go live,” says Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, in a press release. “These industry-leading kiosks provide a valuable resource for visitors, businesses, employees, and residents. It supports DDP’s mission to make information on merchants, community resources, and events in Downtown Detroit and throughout the city accessible to all.”
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